Refrigerator



April 12, 1932. N. s. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR Filed A ril '7, 192a Nels 5. Anderson Guam Patented A r. 12, 1932 PATENT OFFICE NELS s. ANDERSON, or MINNEAPOLIS, mascara REFRIGERATOR Application filed April 7, 1928. Serial No. 268,236.

My invention relates to refrigerators and particularly to devices for cooling the same andhas for its object to provide a refrigerator and cooling device therefor whereby the refrigerator may be cooled in frigid climates during winter months by virtue of the relatively low outside temperature.

' Another object resides in constructing said refrigerator and cooling device so as to permit of the joint or independent use of said "cooling device with some other cooling device or cooling medium.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a cooling device which will 5 automatically cease to function when the outside temperature increases above the temperature within the refrigerator.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a radiator or cooling coil within 2 the ice compartment of the refrigerator and in providing a cooling reservoir upon the exterior of the building for cooling said radiator, said reservoir and coil having a cooling fluid adapted to circulate therethrough.

5 Another object of the invention resides in disposing said radiator along the ceiling or walls of said ice compartment in inclined position and in connecting the lower end of said radiator with the lower end of said reservoir by means of a suitable pipe, and in similarly connecting by means of another pipe thenpper end of said reservoir with the upper end of said radiator.

A still further object of the invention resides in running said secondpipe through the room proper in which the device is installed so as to increase the temperature'thereof and accelerate the circulation of thecooling fluid within said pipes, radiator and reservoir.

Another object of the invention resides in attaching a thermometer to saidexposed pipe, said thermometer being calibrated to'indicate the temperature within said refrigerator.

With the foregoing and other objects in 'view, which will appear in the following description, the invention resides in thenovel combination and arrangement of parts and the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

v Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a' plan sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2 and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of radiator adapted to be used with my inven- 5 tion.

In the use of'refrigerators in frigid climates where the same are installed within heated buildings, considerable expense occurs in servicing such refrigerators during winter 55 a 'months for ice or power consumed by refrigerating apparatus used for such purposes. With my invention the temperature of the exterior during winter months may be utilized to cool the refrigerator and in such a manner as to permit of the joint use of such cooling means with ice or other refrigerating devices during spring and fall months when the outside'temperature rapidly fluctuates.

For the purpose of illustrating the appllcation of my invention, I have shown an ordinary refrigerator A which consists of a front wall 10, a rear wall 11, side walls'12 and 13,

a top 14 and bottom 15. These various walls have been illustrated as constructed oftwo 30 sheets of material 16 and 17, separated by a layer of insulation 18. The front wall 10 is f arranged with the usual openings for access to the interior of the refrigerator which openings are adapted to be closed by means of three '85 closures 19, and 20, attached to the front wall 10 by means of hinges 22 and adapted to be held in closed position b means of latches 23. Within the interior 0 the refrigerator is formed a partition 24 which divides the same.

into an ice compartment 25 and a food compartment 26. A shelf 27 within the ice compartment 25 serves to support a piece of ice such as indicated at 28 which may be insert- .ed into said ice compartment through the icing door 20. This construction has been described simply for the purpose of illustrating the application of-the invention, such construction being now well known in the art.

In the installation of a refrigerator equipped with my invention, the refrigerator is preferably installed within the building adjacent an exterior wall although if desired the same can be remotely positioned as will presently become apparent. For the purpose of illustration, I have shown a portion of a building having a floor 29 and an exterior wall 30 against which the refrigerator A is disposed.

Within the ice compartment of refrigerator A I dispose a radiator or coil 31 formed of tubular metal and arranged with a number of bends 32, 33, and 34, whichserve to increase the cooling area of the said coil. The various runs of this coil are so disposed that the ends 35 and 36 thereof face toward the rear of the refrigerator. On the exterior of the building is attached a reservoir 37 constructed of suitable'sheet material or any other desired heat conducting material which is open at the top and adapted to be closed by means of a closure 38. The coil 31 is preferably installed near the ceiling of the ice compartment 25 while the reservoir 37 is installed on the opposite-side of wall 30 immediately back of the said coil. If desired, however, this reservoir may be raised and positioned under the eaves or in any other inconspicuous place. To the end 35 of coil 31 I attach a pipe 39 which is connected to said coil by means of a coupling 40 and which extends through said wall and is adapted to be screwed into a flange 41 secured to the lowermost portion of the reservoir 37. At the other end 36 of coil 31 is attached an elbow 42 which has screwed into it a vertical pipe 43.termi nating in a second elbow 44. Another pipe 45 similar to pipe 39 is connected by means of a union 46 with the elbow 44at one end and at its other end to a flange 47 secured to the upper portion of the reservoir 37 A valve 48 is disposed in the pipe 43 and serves to control the operation of the device. In the installation of the device the reservoir 37 and radiator 31 may be solely supported relative to the refrigerator through the agency of the pipes 45 and 39 or if desired any other supporting means may be used either in addition or in place thereof. Such devices being well known have not been described in detail.

The coil 31 is inclined upwardly from the lowermost end '35 to the uppermost end 36 so that the cooling medium within the same may circulate upwardly towards the pipe 43 as the heat given off by the food within the refrigerator is absorbed by the cooling medium. The cooling medium may be a brine solution, an alcoholic solution, or'any other suitable cooling fluid, and is filled within the reservoir 37 to a height sufficient to cover the pipe 45. In this manner the entire coil 31 is filled with the cooling fluid as well as the pipes 39, 43 and. 45.

In the operation of the device the valve 48 is opened which permits free circulation 'ator.

of the cooling fluid through the coil or radiator 31. When the temperature on the exterior of the building is below that of the ice compartment of the refrigerator, within reservoir 37 becomes cooled and due to the action of gravity flows downwardly. As the liquid within the said .coil 31 is relatively warmer than that in the reservoir 37, the same rises through the said radiator and through the pipe 43 where it returns by the pipe 45 to the top of said reservoir. In this manner the cooling liquid automatically circulates through the system, absorbing the heat given ofi by the food within the refriger- The invention is designed to be used in conjunction with other cooling devices or mediums and the cooling coil 31 is so disposed as to not interfere with such use. When the exterior temperature rises, the circulation through the coil 31 becomes more sluggish until the temperature in reservoir 37 becomes greater than the temperature in the ice compartment 25. At such point the cooling fluid ceases to circulate through coil 31 and the fluid within the reservoir 37 short-circuits so When this device is operated normally the pipe 43 being disposed within the room proper in which the refrigerator is installed, is warmed over and above the' temperature within the refrigerator which causes the fluid within the same to rise more rapidly. This has the efi'ect of accelerating the circulation of the cooling fluid through the cooling coil, thereby causing the device to function more rapidly and requiring a smaller cooling coil than would be otherwise required.

In Fig. 4 I have-shown an alternative form of radiator or cooling coil which is constructed of sheet metal instead of tubular material as is the case with the coil 31. This coil comprises two sheets of sheet metal 50 seamed together along their edges 51 and spaced from one another to form a passageway extending the liquid from one end of the device to the other. In-

termediatetwo of the sides of the radiator the sheets 50 are brought together as indicated at'52 to form end passageways 53 and 15,3 and intermediate passageways 54 communicating therewith. A pipe coupling 55 is attached to the portion of radiator 50 adapted to com-- municate with passageway 53 while another coupling 56 is attached to the portion of radiator 50 communicating with passageway 153. These couplings .are disposed in the same relation to the radiator as the coupling 40 and the elbow 42 of coil 31 and are adapted to receive the pipes 39 and 43 of the device. With this form of the invention thecooling fluid circulates from the pipe 39 into passageway 53 and from said passageway through the passageways 54 and into the passageway 153 where the same may leave the radiator through the pipe 43. With this arrangement may be positioned remotely therefrom or adjacent an interior wall. When the refrigerator is so installed the pipes 39 and are arranged to extend in such a manner as to finally pass through an exterior wall of the building and the same are then connected to the reservoir 37 in exactly the same manner as when the refrigerator is positioned adjacent the exterior wall. In such case the lower pipe 39 is preferably insulated by some suitable pipe insulation so as to prevent the cooling medium from absorbing heat prior to its entrance into the radiator or coil 31.

For the purpose of determinin the temperature within the refrigerator, attach to the pipe 43 a thermometer 57 which has its bulb 58 closely positioned to said pipe. This thermometer is attached by means of two clamps-59 which hold the same in proper position; In the use of this thermometer the bulb and stem thereof are preferably adjustable relative to the scale so .that the thermometer may be calibrated to directly indicate the temperature within the refrigerator. My invention is highly advantageous in that it provides a simple and effective device whereby considerable economy in the servicing of refrigerators may be effected during winter months in frigid climates. The device can be constructed at a nominal cost and is of such a nature as to require pratically no attention and will not be apt to get out of order. The device functions automatically to operate in conjunction with other cooling devices or mediums so that when the outside temperature becomes too high, any other cooling means can be utilized without disconnecting or interfering with the cooling devices of my invention. When the reservoir .used with my invention is made with suflicient capacity, the difference in temperature during the day time and night time may be utilized for cooling the refrigerator. The resultant temperature of my auxiliary cooling devices in such case is the mean temperature which is of course considerably lower than the temperature during the daytime. My invention may be utilized in both domestic and commercial refrigerators and considerable saving in the cost of ice or power used .for electrical refrigeration will be affected in either case. When my invention is installed in apartment buildings a single reservoir may be used to service any number of refrigerators so that considerable economy in installation may be effected.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein'disclosed, may be made within Patent is:

the scope of what is claimed without departin from the spirit of my invention.

aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters :1. In combination, a refrigerator adapted to be installed within a building having a temperature greater than the exterior, a cooling radiator disposed within said refrigerator, a cooling reservoir disposed upon the exterior of said building, a pipe connecting the lower end of said reservoir with one end of said radiator, a member connecting the other end of said radiator with the upper end of said reservoir, said member extending Within the room of the building in which said refrigerator is installed and being adapted to be heated thereby, and a cooling fluid adapted to circulate through said radiator and reservoir, said exposed member serving to accelerate the circulation thereof.

2. In combination, a refrigerator adapted to be installed within a building. having a temperature greater than the exterior, a cooling radiator disposed within said refrigerator, a cooling reservoir disposed upon the exterior of said building, a pipe connected with the lower end of said reservoir and one end of said cooling radiator, a second pipe connected with the other endof said cooling radiator and the upper end of said reservoir, said second pipe extending through the room in which the refrigerator is installed and a cooling fluid adapted to circulate through said radiator, pipes and reservoir, said last named pipe being heated by the air within the room to accelerate the circulation thereof.

3. In combination, a refrigerator adapted to be installed within a building. having a temperature greater'than the exterior, a cooling radiatordlsposed within said refrigerator,

a cooling reservoir disposed upon the exterior tor is installed-and being adapted to be heated thereby, and a cooling fluid adapted to circulate through said radlator and reservoir, said exposed member serving to accelerate the circulation thereof, and a thermometer attached to said exposed member and calibrated to indicate the temperature within said refrigerator. v

4. In combination with the ice compartment of a refrigerator installed within a buildingat a temperature exceeding that of the exterior, a relatively planiform radiator disposed along the ceiling of said ice compartment and pitching upwardly toward one end, a reservoir positioned upon the exterior of the building, a pipe connecting the lower end of said'radiator the lower end of said reservoir, a second pipe connecting the upper end of said radiator with the upper end of said reservoir, said second pipe passcooling fluid through said-radiator.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my" ecification.

signature to this s N LS S. ANDERSON.

through the room in which the refrigera- 

